was more prevalent. There is but little danger of feeling too great anxiety; your fear should be entirely, lest you should have too little concern. The fact is, he that most ardently desires the salvation of his own family is the man who will pray fervently for the salvation of others. Again it has been said-but away with these objections. The duty is so manifestly enjoined that it is needless to answer all the cavils of him who is indisposed to perform it. It is not from scruples of a correct conscience that this command of GOD is violated. The great cause of this neglect, not to mention inferior ones, is the depravity of the heart, manifesting itself in the forms of spiritual sloth, criminal indiffer ence to eternal objects, unconcern as regards the future well being of the individuals around us. This unconcern, the parent may deceive himself by calling reconciliation to the will of God. But should his child be seized with some dangerous complaint, he would not exhibit this apathy. His countenance and his actions would plain ly indicate that he desired its recovery. O that bis actions would indicate his desire, that spiritual health might be imparted to his child by the Physician of souls. Let the parent think of eternity, and then let him ask, whether any labours or exertions can be too great, the object of which is to prevent that eternity from being to his children an endless continuance in misery? To the writer of these remarks, it is a cause of regret that he has not more powerfully enforced the important duty, on which he has written; he hopes that some abler pen will be employed on this subject. It is his desire that the Spirit of God may impress with divine energy on the minds of parents, the solemn obligations they are under to those committed to their care. TABOR. For the American Baptist Magazine, ON AN EVIL HEART OF UNBELIEF. We have frequent opportunities to read elaborate refutations of the opinions of formal unbelievers, or professed infidels; these are probably highly beneficial to the cause of religion; but no doubt, many persons suppose themselves very good Christians, because they profess a belief of the Bible; although neither their hearts nor lives are conformed to its requirements. Infidelity of opinion is indeed bad; it is the fruit and evidence of a very depraved and indurated heart; and almost uniformly attended with a stubborn inflexibility of mind, which yields to no religious impressions: The conscience, as St. Paul expresses it, being seared as with a hot iron. Infidelity of the heart, even in those who probably would be shocked at the idea of renouncing the Bible, or questioning its divine origin, is in many respects equally bad and dangerous, and draws after it a train of consequences equally fatal. The Apostle in writing to the Hebrews, of whose strong propensity to unbelief he had but too many melancholy proofs, warns them of this dangerous inmate, in the strong and pathetick language dictated by his warm zeal for the glory of God, and the interest of the Redeemer's kingdom; as well as his pure and unaffected love for his brethren, his kinsmen according to the flesh Take heed, brethren, lest there be, in any of you, an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. In the view of the inspired and experienced Apostle, an unbelieving heart is to be accounted an evil heart. It is so in a very eminent degree, and in the fullest sense. It is an evil heart, because it is in opposition to God. It is also the exercise of a carnal mind, which is enmity to God, not subject to his law, neither indeed can be. St. John as sures us, that God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. But an unbelieving heart, perversely and basely prefers darkness to light. So said our Saviour to the unbelieving Jews, and of course to all other unbelievers. This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world; and men loved darkness rather than light. If unbelief was the effect of any natural and unavoidable defect of the understanding, or the want of sufficient light and evidence in the gospel, the unbeliever would be furnished with an excuse: but a principle of fixed enmity and disaffection to the infinite source of goodness and excellence, admits of no excuse. To be opposed to God, is to take sides with the grand enemy of all goodness, and to lend our influence, and exert all the powers we possess in opposition to the peace and felicity of the rational universe. Surely a heart capable of all this, is an evil heart. But an unbelieving heart does all this, and more. It is not only opposed to God's general character, but is utterly opposed to some of the brightest and dearest perfections of the divine nature. Truth is an essential attribute of Deity. It is essential to his nature and glory, and is the fundamental ground of the happiness of all holy beings. Indeed, without it, he would be unworthy of confidence, and unfit to govern the universe. He could no longer be estimated a proper object of adora tion, or source of rational happi ness. To deny the truth of God, big as it is with impiety, blasphemy, and atheism, is the very crime, or rather complication of crimes, of which every unbelieving heart is guilty. He that believeth not, hath made God a liar; because he believeth not the record God hath given concerning his Son. It follows, that an unbelieving heart is opposed to the mercy of God, as revealed in the Gospel. The tes timony of God, concerning his Son, is, that he came into the world to save sinners-That he is the propitiation for our sins-Our advocate with the Father-The Mediator between God and man; and that there is no other name, by which we can be saved. Through the merit of the Son of God, salvation is freely proposed to sinners; who are generally invited to come, without money or price. -The Divine Being, in infinite mercy, even condescends to expostulate and entreat; saying, Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die? O house of Israel. But the unbeliever proudly and disdainfully rejects, and tramples under foot, all this boundless grace and goodness. Is it not, then, evident, that an unbelieving heart, is an evil heart? It is equally true, that the unbeliever is opposed to the wisdom of God. The manifold wisdom of God, is displayed in the Gospel: St. Paul celebrates it, as the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and goodness of God. Angelick minds are lost in wonder, when contemplating the infinite display of divine wisdom, manifested in the scheme of salvation by Jesus Christ.-The justice of God satisfied-the law of God honoured--the mercy of God displayed; and vile sinners, the recreant race of apostate Adam, saved; and all this, by the death of the Son of God! Surely this will fill all heaven with acclamations of praise, and furnish matter for an eternal anthem, of Glory to God in the highest, among the seraphick choirs above. Yet, strange and unaccountable as it is, the unbeliever despises this wonderful display of divine wisdom, and mercy, and prefers his own consummate folly and madness, and leans to his own brutish and misguided understanding, rather than confide in the wisdom of God, who is the origin of intelligence. He that formed the eye, shall he not see? He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? He that gave to man understanding, shall he not know? If it needed any further proof to convict the criminal, and evince, beyond the possibility of reasonable dispute, that an unbelieving heart is an evil heart, we have it in the justice of God. Shall not the Judge of the whole earth do right? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengance? God forbid. God will neither punish nor threaten to punish without sufficient demerit in the subject; yet the merciful Jesus, who was perfectly acquainted with the method of the divine administration, denounces damnation upon the unbeliever. Indeed he assures us, that he that believeth not is condemned already, and that the wrath of God abideth on him. Finally, to sum up the whole, a heart of unbelief is in a state of departure from the living God. They that are far off from God perish. This is the unhappy state of every unbeliever. He forsakes the fountain of living water, and hews out broken cisterns, which can hold no water. The language of the believing heart is expressed by David in the sweet strains of devotion and gratitude How excellent is thy loving-kindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleas ures. For with thee is the fountain of life; in thy light shall we see light. So far is the unbelieving heart from any relish for those sublime pleasures, that it is charged by the inspired writer, of saying unto the Almighty, Depart from us, for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. To the believer, the ways of wisdom are ways of pleasantness; and all her paths are peace. They are not so to the unbeliever, the genuine language of his heart is: It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts? To the believ er, Christ is precious.-To the unbeliever, he is a stone of stumbling and rock of offence.-The believer says to Christ, To whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.-The unbeliever says of Christ, He is a Samaritan, and hath a devil; why hear ye him? The believer sees him as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, and receives of his fulness and grace for grace.-The unbeliever views him as a root out of a dry ground, having no form nor comeliness; and possessing nothing desirable. Such is the perverse and wicked temper of an unbelieving heart. It is opposed to God, opposed to Christ, opposed to all holy beings-to the happiness of the rational universe, and even to the best and only real happiness of the person who pos sesses it. If such a heart be not evil, it is impossible to conceive of any thing which is so. Professors of religion should be extremely careful, that they do not live and act under the baneful influence of this dangerous principle. Keep your hearts with all diligence; for out of them are the issues of life. Such as are not professors, ought to be convinced, that it is by no means so innocent, as they have been prone to imagine, to live in a state of unbelief: let them hear and tremble at the solemn declaration: He that believeth not, shall be damned. PHILOLOGOS. Missionary Intelligence. AMERICAN BAPTIST FOREIGN MISSION. Extract of a Letter from Rev. GEORGE H. HOUGH, dated Rangoon, Feb. 20, 1817, to the Rev. Mr. BENEDICT. Very dear Brother, I COULD not, before I came here, form any idea, how my time would be occupied after I should become engaged in the work for which I came hither, and therefore made promises to write more, and oftener than I fear I shall be able to do. I often think, how happy I should be, could I step into your house, or you into ours, and spend a few hours in telling you all my mind, how I feel, and what I want should be done for these miserable Burmans; but while this pleasure is denied me, there is a hope constantly administering to my mind a sweet consolation, that we shall see each other in a better "house not made with hands." Such a hope as this I would not exchange for any consideration; no, not even for the felicity of meeting all my friends again in this world. Since I have been here, I have felt in a good degree assured that I am in the path of duty. I am in a work, with which my soul is delighted. My spiritual enjoyments seem much to have increased, and I am enabled to look forward with an increased confidence to the end of this, and to another existence. I am not, however, free from a state of uncertainty on the subject of my own salvation; yet on self-examination, my heart appears to have its hold on divine truth strengthened; and surrounded with objects of human kind in a most lamentable state of religious debasement, it is impossible for me not to esteem the precious gospel of the grace of God as the richest source of sacred consolation. it. I can say truly, I had no idea of a state of heathenism before I saw A warm-hearted Christian in America, would think that a poor miserable idolater would leap for joy at the message of grace. But it is not so in Burmah: "Here Satan binds their captive minds Fast in his slavish chains." The few with whom brother Judson has conversed since I have been here appear inaccessible to truth. They sit unaffected, and go away unimpressed with what they have heard. They are unconvinced by argument, and unmoved by love; and the conversion of a Burman, or even the excitement of a thought towards the truth, must and will be a sovereign act of divine power. We long to see that act of power displayed; even onc instance would fill us with joy. Heretofore this Mission has been in a confused state, and although it has existed for more than eight years, it has not been the means of inducing a single Burman to forsake his idolatry and turn to the Lord. The missionaries have been, from various causes, transient residents here. They first settled under the cloak of being preachers to the English, and it was by this means that permission was obtained from government "to build a church," in other words, a missionhouse; and instead of appearing to the Burmans in the character of missionaries, or known by them as such, they have been considered as standing in a very different relation towards them. There is no reason to suppose, that their or our object in coming here is known to but very few individuals, Brother Judson entering the mission while in this state, is now considered to be, and called, the English Teacher, and this, I presume, so far as I am known among the Burmans, is the case with myself, although there are no more than two resident Englishmen in the place. Such a sit, uation is to us extremely irksome, more especially so when we see no reason why our real character and intention should be concealed. Undoubtedly a plain path would at first have been pursued with the greater facility, and it will be the best for us, finding ourselves out, to turn into it. We are deliberating what measures in this case ought to be adopted, and how we can most effectually remove wrong impressions and instamp new ones. We wish to be considered Americans and Missionaries. Although the natural operation of events would in time disclose the whole, yet we think it may prudently be assisted, by the aid of a change of dress, and a removal from our present situation to some other near or in the town, where we should be more conversant with the Burmans. May the Lord direct us in this thing. Brother Judson has never yet been abroad to preach. He has applied himself constantly to the study of the language, with a view to the translation of the New Testament. We both concur in the opinion, that before preaching be undertaken to any considerable degree, some portion of the Scriptures should be in circulation. The Burmans, when any thing is said to them on the subject of divine truth, inquire for our Holy Books; and it is a pleasing fact, that scarcely a Burman, with the exception of females, is incapable of reading. Besides, during the progress of translation, many theological terms, appropriate to the different branches of doctrine, may be familiarly ac quired, and their use established, which without much consideration might be erroneously employed, and thus wrong ideas conveyed. Having, therefore, press and types here, we cannot conscientiously withhold from this people the precious oracles of God. This opinion has influenced us to issue, as soon as preparations could possibly be made, two small tracts, one a summary of Christian doctrine, and the other a catechism; the one I was enabled to print the latter part of the last, and the other the first of the present month; a copy of each I send you. By them you will see how much we need a new fount of types; many of the letters are almost illegible. These two little tracts are the first printing ever done in Burmah, and it is a fact grateful to every Christian feeling, that God has reserved the introduction of this art here for his own use. We are now printing an edition of 500 of Matthew, brother Judson having commenced the translation the first of this month. We are calculating, should means be afforded us from home or elsewhere, and the Lord preserve us from interruptions, that besides the edition of 500 of Matthew, at the end of three years from this time, to give the whole New-Testament to the Burmans, to the number perhaps of 3 or 5000, on which of the two we are not decided. Such an event is a long while before us; but we are not enabled to act with vigour and dispatch. We are destitute of money and fellow-labourers. The expense of an edition of 5000 Testaments we hope will not discourage our brethren at home. The volume will contain at least 850 pages, or 107 half sheets, large 8v0. The construction of the Burman idiom swells it to this enormous bulk. The paper and a new fount of types for this edition will cost at least 3000 dollars; the wages of two pressmen (expecting myself |